BEIJING (Reuters) - Cuba's Angel Valodia Matos was banned for life from taekwondo on Saturday for kicking a referee and a Chinese favorite was knocked out in a controversial ruling as the final bouts of the Olympic tournament descended into chaos.

The confusion overshadowed victory for Cha Dong-min, who took South Korea's fourth taekwondo gold medal at the Beijing Games in the men's +80-kg category, and Mexico's Maria Espinoza, who won gold in the women's +67-kg.

Leading 3-2 in the men's +80-kg bronze-medal bout against Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov, Matos slumped to the floor rubbing his leg and was disqualified for exceeding a minute's injury time, prompting the Cuban's coach to rush onto the mat.

After a heated exchange, Matos struck the referee in the head with a high kick. He also kicked another official before being escorted out of the arena.